OPINION: "PAP's Lame Racial Politcs Justification", by Goh Meng Seng, 30 September 2017.

PAP's Lame Racial Politics Justification, by Goh Meng Seng, 30 September 2017.

ARTICLE: PAP's Supreme Leader PM Lee tried to explain and justify his (or his party's?) decision to amend the Constitution on the Reserved Elected Presidency amidst the big Hoohaa of whole Nation over this racially divisive end result.

Basically his logic is, if PAP ddin't carry out the Reserved Elected Presidency amendment, Singapore may not have a Malay President at all for the rest of Singapore's History.

Now, this is the most unconvincing and insulting reasoning for every Singaporean. He is basically implying that Singaporeans, especially the Majority Chinese, are RACIST when it comes to voting. Historical Empirical evidence has shown that Singaporeans, regardless of race, are NOT racist at all. JBJ was elected TWICE as MP as far back as 1981 until PAP used all means to keep him out of parliament. Michael Palmer was elected in the hotly contested GE 2011. Murali was elected in the 2016 BY-ELECTION in spite of the fact that PAP is supposed to suffer a handicap in by-elections! All these politicians, regardless of whether they are from opposition or PAP, had won against their Chinese opponents! Yet, PAP's Supreme Leader PM Lee wants to convince us that Singaporeans are incapable to vote independently of race?

The Truth is that PAP has NEVER felt race is a problem when they fielded Nathan, an Indian, as the candidate for TWO terms, not ONE, of Elected Presidency! In fact, if PAP really bothers about racial representation in our Nation's Presidency, then why didn't the Reserved Elected Presidency apply to Indians, Eurasians and even Chinese as well?

And the Blatant Truth is, PAP has selectively chosen to raise the entry barrier for candidates from Private sector while making candidates from their controlled field, aka civil service and political appointees, as easy as ever!

Well, before you think that PAP is racist, I must say I don't think so at all. They are just playing the race card as well as upping the stringent criteria to bar potential challengers from contesting against their PREFERRED candidate. This is a shameless move against Democracy and this is precisely the reason why Singaporeans are angry at them!

To insinuate Salleh Marican and Farid Khan as "opportunists" who didn't offer themselves as candidates in PE 2011 but only contest in this Reserved Elected Presidency, is the lamest reasoning ever. Did PAP ever offer their Malay Ministers as candidates for PE 2011? They didn't field any Malay Minister as PE candidate not because Singaporeans would vote according to race but basically it is because PAP doesn't have GOOD and STRONG Malay candidates for the Presidential contest in the very first place! And PAP knows that in a Presidential Elections, it is practically a NATION WIDE By-Election in which PAP's endorsed candidate will be heavily handicapped! Tony Tan's narrow win of 35% in PE 2011 was the warning shot to PAP.

In fact, I would think that if it is a one-to-one contest, an independent Malay or Indian or Eurasian Presidential Candidate would have better chance of winning against a PAP-endorsed Chinese candidate!

Such Kelong Politics is totally outdated and they shouldn't take Singaporeans as naive fools to believe in their lame excuses. Just admit it. PAP is just being Kiasu so much so that they have to Kelong the Presidential Elections by making use of the Race card.

[Goh Meng Seng is the former Secretary-General of National Solidarity Party (NSP) and the current Secretary-General of People's Power Party (PPP). This post is shared here with his kind permission.]

OPINION: "Sympathy to Kelong President", by Goh Meng Seng, 11 September 2017.

Thought of the Day - Sympathy to Kelong President, by Goh Meng Seng, 11 September 2017

My deepest Sympathy to the Madam Kelong President to be. No matter how you try to prove yourself capable of being independent of PAP, you will always be FOOT-noted in the History of Singapore as the Kelong President who is beholden to PAP for getting this disgraceful position of Presidency.

Mr Goh Meng Seng

It may not be your fault but you are the one who made the choice to play right into the hands of PAP and thus, rightfully so, you will have be responsible for your decision to play the puppet of power.

The circumstances under which you became the President bring no glory or pride to you, your family or your clan but only insults, shame and anger to the Malay community.

You have already been addressed as "Madam President" by your powerful colleagues even before the race and now, being made the Madam President as "planned" through administrative means. We cannot help but feel that this is all Kelong or an elaborated set up of a wayang.

Your colleagues have helped to set up barriers to all competition by making Reserved Presidential Elected... yes, make no mistake about it, it is indeed RESERVED for you and nobody else. By doing so, your Malay community has suffered humiliation not only once but twice throughout the whole farcical process. One, they have set on record that any Malay Presidential candidate, including you Madam Kelong President, will not be able to win in a fair and open Presidential Election because you are a minority despite the fact that, not so long ago, an Indian PAP candidate just won a by-election against the Secretary General of the second largest opposition party in Singapore!

The Malay community is further insulted when their two very successful self-made millionaires were denied candidacy even though they have created their own business empire which are worth multiple hundreds of millions. Do they lack any business, economics or financial capabilities to perform the role of the Elected Presidency when they have basically built their own business empires through their own merits? Obviously not; and I believe they are better qualified in business, economics and financial capabilities than you are, Madam Kelong President!

You are only qualified on the technicality of being the PAP appointed Speaker of Parliament which position doesn't involve managing any big business, least of all a $500 million paid up capital entity!

These are the Business Elites of the Malay community but they were put down as not good enough to be the Elected President? Only people like you who are beholden to PAP by working for PAP could be qualified as Kelong President?

How hurtful could that be to your Malay Community, which you proclaim to belong to?

Madam Kelong President, you may think that you have brought glory to yourself and the Malay community but no, you have instead brought shame, hurt and anger to the Malay community.

I would have even more sympathy for you if you really think it is something great to become the Kelong President as you wish because you are living in a dream that lacks legacy and dignity. Even your predecessor Tony Tan has more dignity than you do despite the fact that he won only by less than 35% but at least he fought the battle till the end! But you? You will always been seen as appointed by the 16 persons and PAP and nobody else.

My thanks to the other two Malay candidates, Salleh and Khan, for stepping forward to offer yourselves to serve Singapore as President. Don't feel bad to be rejected by the political sophistry of PAP because it is not the people like us who have rejected you. Only 16 people plus the PAP have rejected you. All the best to both of you. Thank you.

[This post was posted here with the kind permission of Goh Meng Seng. Mr Goh Meng Seng was formerly Secretary-General of the National Solidarity Party (NSP) and is presently Secretary-General of the People's Power Party (PPP).]